The charming side of Adolf Hitler

Putting the name Hitler anywhere near the word “good” is surely an oxymoron in just about anyone’s book. However, according to a handful of people that knew him intimately, he had more than a few good qualities. I leave it up to you to decide if these varied recollections change your perspective of the man.

Hitler’s former secretary, Traudl Junge claimed he was a “pleasant boss and a fatherly friend.” Reinhard Spitzy, a Nazi deserter who had worked alongside Hitler, made the statement, “Nobody is bad all their life. Hitler was charming, humoristic, and a very good mimic.” Former British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin went so far as to write a letter calling Hitler “a remarkable man” who made “great achievements.”

One of the last people to see Hitler alive was his nurse, Erna Flegel, who tended to him in his bunker in 1945. She said about Hitler, “He was always polite and charming. There was really nothing to object to.”

Should Hitler’s personal affability and consideration for those who were not Jewish be considered when judging this man? Can he be pure evil if he was nice to those around him?